I’m one of those people who loves language.  I dream of speaking an endless array of languages with ease and precision.  However, my current reality is that I’m fluent in English and proficient in Spanish.  Several months ago I decided to revive my language acquisition project.  Next I had to determine whether I would focus on increasing my Spanish proficiency to fluency, or start learning a new language.  After some deliberation I concluded that I was comfortable enough with my command of Spanish to continue to study it while starting another language.  I decided to add French to the mix.

I devised a plan and started my quest to learn French.  I signed up for eight weeks of a beginner’s French class at the local branch of Alliance Francaise.  The class met once a week for three hours.  I planned to supplement what I learned in class by doing additional reading and listening to tapes.  I showed up for class.  What I did not do was to put in the time outside of the classroom.  I’m not new to learning a foreign language, so I know that a few hours in a classroom once a week is not sufficient for most of us to acquire even a basic command of a language.    Needless to say I did not achieve the mastery of French that I wanted.  I left the last class of the term disappointed with my results.  I could say “oui” and “s’il vous plait” by the end of the eight weeks, but I could do that before I started the classes.  All I could do was to chalk the experience up as an experiment that I did not need to repeat.

The morning after my last class I pondered if I would continue to pursue French or focus solely on Spanish.  I wondered if I was willing to put in the time, energy and effort required to learn a new language.  I was not impressed with my command of French at that moment.  Then it hit me.  I realized that during the last class I understood most of what the instructor said even though it was all in French.  I even spoke basic phrases in French as part of the class conversation.  I learned more than I thought I did.  My brain re-wired itself to accommodate my language learning efforts without me noticing.

Sometimes change comes that way, without us noticing it in the beginning.  We do small things that don’t seem to make a difference.  Then one day we look up and we have moved closer to where we want to be without realizing it.  Change does not only come in leaps and bounds or huge strides.  Small steps are often easier for us to take and sometimes more likely to get us to our goal.

By the way, I’m sticking with French.  Despite my lack of discipline during the beginner’s class I made progress toward something that I have wanted to do for a long time.  With a bit of focus and effort I will speak French.

Au revoir